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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

ocean eyes

(meant to be posted 6 weeks ago but has stayed at "draft" status until now...whoops!)

This weekend was spent with several couples from our bible study in a beautiful vacation home in Bodega Bay. Normally, this house rents for $1000 per weekend but we were all able to stay there for free because one of the couples, Andrea and Casey, are friends with the family that owns the house and they were given a free weekend. They graciously invited the rest of us along for a retreat that felt like we were staying in a resort complete with an gorgeous ocean view, multiple fireplaces and flat screen TVS, and a hot tub! It was so nice to spend a weekend away from the stress of school, work, etc. and be able to spend some quality time with friends enjoying a multitude of food, Rock Band, and the serenity of the ocean.

Friday, November 20, 2009

spotlight is on


MuteMath at the Fillmore

This is just a tad late (by about six weeks) but I still think it is deserving of a post. Back in October, I went to see MuteMath for the second time with my brother. However, the location and venue were a thousand times better than when I first saw them a few years ago in Roseville, CA at a small concert space attached to a church. The crowd at the Roseville show was so rude, immature (mainly young emo teenage wannabes), and you could tell that it affected the the mood of the band. There wasn't much energy in the crowd so I think the MuteMath guys had a hard time giving a truly passionate performance.
This experience was completely different and I'm so glad I got to see MuteMath really in their element. They played at the Fillmore in San Francisco, one of my absolute favorite concert venues. I will admit that going into the concert with my spry younger brother, I was a little weary of standing for 3+ hours (we arrived at 7:30, the show didn't start until 9 and didn't end until 11:30) and yes, this is a sign that I'm getting old and decrepit. But any aching in my feet was well worth it for a fantastic show that really made me forget about standing for so long. They are one of the most energetic and interactive bands you will ever see live and very physical in their performance---jumping, throwing themselves into the crowd, leaping off a piano and standing on drums. However, it never comes across as over the top but rather is delivered in a way that genuinely demonstrates their fervor for music and their excitement for playing it live. I hope to see many more MuteMath shows in my lifetime!

Friday, October 23, 2009

where the road meets the sun


Last Sunday, David's Aunt Joanne passed away from a 20 year on again/off again battle with cancer. At her memorial service today, there were several powerful moments. The morning burial at the gravesite with family filled with prayer and reading Bible passages out loud while also being enveloped in the comfort of the warm sunbeams. Walking around the cemetery with Karis and Hope, Joanne's young granddaughters, as they commented on all the pretty flowers they saw. Listening to an amazing live version of "That Old Rugged Cross" sung during the public service. Hearing an uplifting and thought-provoking message from Joanne's son-in-law about her reality of being in a 'better place' ---rejoicing in heaven at the feet of Jesus--- being biblical truth, not just wishful thinking. Spending quality, blessed time with Joanne's family; her husband Wade, her daughters Katie and Barbara, and all the rest of David's extended family. It was a day of mourning a family's loss and a day of hope due to heaven's gain. Two verses to ponder:

"It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart. "
~Ecclesiastes 7:2

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."
~Hebrews 10:23

Thursday, October 08, 2009

October-fest

October is a good month for many reasons. It ushers in a new season of cardigans, pumpkin-flavored items, and the celebration of another year of my life. This October is off to quite a nice start. My hubby and I had a glorious breakfast feast last Saturday because it was the one weekend this month that he does not have his MBA classes so we could sleep in and lounge over a morning meal. We made beignets, which are French doughnuts with powdered sugar that they serve in New Orleans. For our first time making them, I was very proud! David also whipped up delicious goat cheese and prosciutto omelets, muy delicioso!

Then last night, I went to see Legally Blonde: The Musical with ten other girls for a ladies night out and it was just as much fun seeing it the second time as when I first saw it in San Francisco three years ago. The show has so much energy that you can't help feeling upbeat when you leave the theater!

This morning, my co-workers and I strolled over to the Good Life Garden, which is a public garden for UCD staff, students, and faculty by the new Mondavi Institute for Wine & Food Science. They had a free "harvest" today which means you can come by and take as much basil, oregano, mint, thyme, and other fresh herbs that you want. Score!

On Friday, I'm headed into SF to catch a concert at the Fillmore with my younger bro and then I get to spend the night with one of my besties Kate and her husband Chris in Walnut Creek. October has definitely been a fab month so far and can only get better in my opinion!

Friday, September 25, 2009

raise a glass

I've been to a few university retirement parties in the last couple months (I guess people realize it's a good time to leave the UC system!) and I always leave each party feeling such a sense of gratitude towards being a part of the Design department. Everyone, both faculty and staff, truly care for one another and there is a presence of genuine community that I know can be rare within an academic department. Tonight's party for Victoria Rivers, Design faculty member for 30 years, was another great celebration. And true to the spirit of the Design program, it was an eclectic mix of memorable moments, including a faculty member asking me if I wanted a tequila shot (I politely declined, I'm not a tequila girl). Then there was Victoria's touching speech about how the success of her career was not due to her own talents but was a collaborative process involving every other faculty and staff member she had worked with over the years she had been at UC Davis. I think this is why I really enjoy retirement parties because it is a special time of recognizing not just how far one has come but the people who have been there along the way. Personally, there's no other group of people I'd want to share the professional part of my life with right now and it does pain me to think of eventually leaving such a grand group of people. One last highlight of the night was eating cake. More specifically, the way the cake was eaten: there weren't any extra plates or forks leftover from dinner, so one of the faculty jumped in and suggested that we serve it on napkins. Instead of being snooty and complaining, everyone went on socializing as normal, while eating off their napkins with their fingers. It doesn't really surprise me Victoria stayed in this department for three decades, it's just a unique place that attracts really warm, down-to-earth people who don't mind getting a little messy while eating some cake.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

101 days of summer

The lazy days of summer are over, as of tomorrow. I wanted to particularly relish every moment of this summer, knowing that once grad classes began in the fall, it wouldn't be until Christmas break that I'd have a good amount of free time again.

Here's a numbers breakdown of my summer:

Weddings Attended: 3

Brea and Nathan
Katy and Dale
Heather and Justin

Weddings I Wanted to Go To, But Couldn't: 2

Ashley and Mike
Carol and Joe


Movies Seen in Theatres: 4

Up
Star Trek
500 Days of Summer (yes, I stole my blog post title from this)
Julie & Julia

Movies Rented: 14

I Love You, Man
The Spirit of the Marathon
Taken
Last Chance Harvey
Rachel Getting Married
Road to Perdition
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Evening
Sophie's Choice
Doubt
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Lakeview Terrace
Yes Man
Bolt


Books Read: 10

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
Two Part Invention by Madeleine L'Engle
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (re-reading it for the first time since 10th grade)
Crazy Love by Francis Chan
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Musical Theatre Performances Attended: 2

Wicked
The Music Man


Live Music Events Attended: 2

Jimmy Buffett - Concord, CA
Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans, LA

New States Visited: 6

Vermont
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Maine
Louisiana

All added together, it equals one fantastic summer!

Friday, August 28, 2009

family matters

Since David is gone until next Wednesday, I've been staying at my parents house the last few nights. I knew that if I was alone in our house for 2 weeks, my mind would run wild with thoughts of scary scenarios and that it would be best for my sanity if I was around other people. Plus, I get free meals that I'm not involved in cooking so it really turns out to be a pretty good deal for me.

Anyhow, my younger brother Steve is also at my parent's house for a few days before he moves to Santa Cruz when his lease starts next week. It's a little strange to revert back to my living situation of when I was in high school---me, my brother, and my parents all under one roof.

One of the things I appreciate about my immediate family is that we all grew up saying what's on our mind, even if it's messy and not fully thought out. We never sweep anything under the rug; if something or someone is bothering us we confront each other and say so and fight it out (most of the time loudly) and get it over with instead of doing the whole passive aggressive thing. And yet, tonight I was reminded that this family trait can also be one of my biggest frustrations.

Tonight's family fight began regarding my brother's flossing habits (or rather his resistance to flossing) and it turned into a much deeper fight about differences in perspectives about money (relating to my parents buying a new car). Voices began to rise and I just wasn't feeling like joining in on what was becoming a heated debate. So I did what I've never done before, I got up and left and took my car and drove around for 20 minutes in silence. I needed to clear my head and think in a separate space instead of add to the emotions of the discussion. I then drove back to my parents house, and came back to the fight winding down into truce mode. I threw in my two cents, saying that I sort of understood both perspectives and felt that both my parents and my brother were somewhat right and somewhat hypocritical. And then they decided to agree to disagree and without a residue of bitterness, it was over. Despite yelling at each other five minutes before, the issue had been resolved to a point where an understanding was reached. Everyone's respect for one another was still in tact. I'm not really sure why this was deserving of a blog post other than the fact that this has helped me to process this event and just process in general the conflict resolution habits of my family, which I realize I'm thankful for in the end, despite the messiness.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Oh, my NOLA

I think it was New Orleans Square in Disneyland that first heightened my interest as a young child in visiting New Orleans. In high school I became a huge fan of both Louis Armstrong and Harry Connick, Jr., both New Orleans natives, and I fell in love with the infectiously whimsical sound of Dixieland jazz. As a teenager, I resolved that at some point in my life I would need to go straight to the source of my musical love and visit New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz.
After Hurricane Katrina, I was overwhelmed by the images I saw on TV that showed a decimated and degraded city that had previously seemed so full of life and good times. The thought of going on a trip to help the city in the rebuilding process crossed my mind a few months after Katrina hit but soon faded as I realized I didn't have enough vacation time saved up to do. Fast forward to May 2009 and the opportunity arose once again. It came in the form of an email from our good friends, Bronwyn and Jarrod, who asked if we were interested in joining a team from their church to go to New Orleans for a week to do various service projects. David and I had already spent a week of vacation time on our trip to New England, and we weren't planning on doing any more trips for the rest of the year. But something tugged at both of us to consider this unique option. For me, it was a chance to put my faith into action and serve those who need help physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I won't say that my motivations were totally selfless though---I also knew this would be a great chance to see a city I had always been intrigued by. So we bought plane tickets and were officially part of the 2009 New Orleans team from First Baptist Church (although we still represented our Covenant denomination pride, haha).
Our time in New Orleans was relatively short but our experiences spanned many emotions and therefore caused the trip to feel much longer than 6 days. For the first 2 days, we volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and got to play with power tools, experienced Gulf Coast humidity in all it's sweaty glory, and painted many, MANY baseboards. During the second day, we volunteered at a site with one of the most humble and inspiring people I've come across---Mr. Paul Branch, who lives in a town near New Orleans. He is one of the Habitat core volunteers in the New Orleans area, which for him means that he volunteers on any days that he is not working at his job as an oilfield consultant. Firstly, Paul had a gracious and generous spirit. An example of this was when he brought in a huge dish of red beans and rice (a New Orleans classic dish), potato chips, and watermelon for us to have for lunch (normally Habitat does not provide lunch for the volunteers). When I asked him how he prepared it, he casually said that he had gotten up at 4 am that morning to make it because it takes several hours to simmer and he wanted our team to have a fresh batch in order to capture the flavor best. And although we didn't have much to compare it to, everyone on our team agreed that it was probably the best red beans and rice we would ever have and told Paul we'd be emailing him for the recipe. In addition to his hospitality, Paul's strong commitment to help others in his community was also quite striking. At one point during the day, someone asked him how many other volunteer teams had come to help him on this house. He modestly said that we were the first team he had worked with in quite some time and that it had taken him 40 days to redo the roof on the house by himself. All of us were shocked to hear that he had been working on a majority of the house alone, but then he said that he's been granted the ability and the means to help those who were hit hardest by Katrina and that it's only natural that he use what he's been blessed with to help those in need around him. "Help other people and you'll be ok," he told us during the lunch break. Throughout the rest of the week I realized what he meant. The reference to being "ok" was not meant in a legalistic way referring to doing good works in order to get spiritual brownie points. He instead was referencing how helping others helps rejuvenate the soul in a way that not many other things can. So this is the simple, yet profound, mantra that Paul lives his life by and I know that after meeting him, I am more motivated to help others in my local community.
Another organization we worked with called Green Light New Orleans was very different in it's mission but just as inspiring. Their goal is to help low-income families switch from using incandescent light bulbs to more energy efficient CFL bulbs. This is carried out by having various volunteers come to their homes and install these bulbs--both the installation and the CFL bulbs are free to the homeowner. In essence, it is helping families save money on utility bills while also making the rebuilding process more eco-friendly way. This was also a great organization to volunteer with because we got to interact one on one with various families and hear their stories of how despite all odds they have come back to rebuild their lives. One woman we met named Nita proudly told us how so many church groups from across the United States had a part in helping her family rebuild their house after a crooked contractor ran off with her money (how despicable do you have to be to do this, especially to someone who has already lost so much?!). She then eagerly got our contact info because she said she liked to stay in touch with every volunteer who had played a role in her life...I felt like we hadn't done much except change a few light bulbs but I realized how every little contribution has combined to make a large impact on her life.
One other place we volunteered was at St. Margaret's, a nursing home in the ninth ward. There were so many special moments during this day, including getting to know Augustine. She is a resident who is unable to go downstairs and play bingo with the other residents due to a bad leg, so the activities coordinator sent a few of us up to her room with a mini bingo set that we could set up and play with her. When we introduced ourselves and asked if she wanted to play some bingo, her eyes lit up and she enthusiastically nodded, "oh yes, oh yes!" Normally, I think bingo is a boring game that I would dread playing for more than two rounds. However, it was so enjoyable to sit with Augustine and play bingo for a couple of hours, listening to some of her childhood stories in between rounds. She told us of growing up in rural Louisiana and how she had worked for a 'nice white man' at his general store. She later ended up being a nanny for a 'nice white woman' and helped to raise her daughter, whom she had a picture of on her windowsill. She told us of different New Orleans recipes we had to try, described how to make crawfish etouffee, and gave us her opinion on why Popeye's makes the best fried chicken (because they use red pepper in the seasoning instead of black pepper, of course). I was sad to say goodbye to Augustine at the end of the day and I wish that I could have weekly visits with her. It was just so refreshing to sit and listen to someone like her with so much life experience give their perspective on things.
Outside of the different volunteer projects, we got to spend time in different parts of the city and I fell in love with its different quirks. Fresh beignets toppled with powdered sugar in the French Quarter at Cafe du Mond. Watching the Preservation Hall Jazz Band bring to life the exuberant spirit of Dixieland jazz. Walking through the Garden District in awe of the mansions that look like embassies but are actually people's homes. Riding the historic St. Charles Streetcar at dusk. New Orleans has such a charming quality that is hard to describe. And it's this quality that causes so many residents to want to come back to the city they love so dearly, despite all the pain it has caused them. As for me, I know that at some point, I will go back as well. And like the people of New Orleans, I have hope that because of the efforts of so many working tirelessly to help rebuild, their city will rise again with it's head held high.


"If you serve, you should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." ~ 1 Peter 4:11


Our team at the Green Lights New Orleans house

Friday, July 10, 2009

turn around

As I was reminded today, sometimes if you're feeling negatively overwhelmed, it's best to reflect on the things that have brought us joy:


Enjoying the most delicious tuna melt of my life and fries with scrumptious dipping sauces (taken @ Duckfat in Portland, Maine)











A serene space to just stop and relax (taken at House on the Hill in Greenfield, MA)














Friends to laugh with






Celebrating our anniversary at DisneyWorld!












Decorating sugar cookies during Christmas time!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Moving on from here

Four years ago next week will be when I first started my job in the Design Program as a temp. I was a naive college graduate who was certain my time as a UC Davis employee would only be temporary until I found a "real job" elsewhere. Little did I know how much I would enjoy going from UCD student to UCD staff member and woul remain in the same department four years later. While the pay isn't great (pay decreases are actually happening next month due to the state budget), there are certainly other benefits. I get a generous amount of paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time. I have been able to audit many classes that I wasn't able to take during undergrad. I can walk to the Arboretum or view an exhibit or go to a free music performance during my lunch hour. But most of all, I have been in the company of such great co-workers, faculty, and a boss who have become my work family. Sadly, my boss, Andrea, retired on Tuesday and I couldn't help but become emotional thinking about how our department will no longer have her optimistic presence and steadfast leadership on a daily basis. Four years ago, Andrea took me under her wing, probably because I was so relatively young, and in these years she has become a mentor. Cheesy as it sounds, she really did encourage me to believe in my true career potential. I attribute my current position as an undergrad adviser to her since she was the first person to ask me 2 years ago if that was a field I would be interested in and then urged me to jump at the opportunity. And since working as an adviser led me to realize my ultimate career goal, which led me to apply for the master's program in counseling that I will begin in the fall, I can also attribute my pursuit of my graduate education partly to Andrea as well. On a personal level, Andrea was very compassionate and truly wanted to know how all her employees were doing emotionally. She was always willing to take the time to listen to any struggles or triumphs I was going through--whether it was health issues with my mom or talking about a wedding I had just gone to. It will be hard to compare any future bosses to Andrea since I really think she is irreplaceable and embodies the qualities that a good manager should have. I'm so thankful for the mentoring role she has played in my work life these last several years, which I know will impact me as I move forward in whatever path I pursue in the present and the future.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

the clarity of gratitude

Lately, I have had an attitude of pessimism, which has been particularly directed towards my current work situation that involves my awesome supervisor retiring June 30 and a whole lot of uncertainty involving a department reorganization beginning July 1st. For me, it took a slight health scare this morning to remind me of the importance of having a perspective of gratitude in my life instead.

I was awakened at 5 am by a pressure in my chest. I got up and drank some water, hoping that would be an easy fix but the pain persisted. David left for work around 5:30 am and coaxed me into trying to go back to sleep, assuring me I was probably just experiencing some heartburn (which I have never had before). I tossed and turned and finally got back to sleep until 8:30 am. I got up and started getting ready to go to church. It still felt like someone was pushing on my chest but I tried to ignore it. However, I was also starting to feel pain in both of my shoulder joints as well as in my jaw. I then decided I needed to play it safe and go see someone in urgent care at the hospital, just in case I was one of those rare cases of a 25 year old having a heart attack (I know, I know maybe watching "Grey's Anatomy" has made me paranoid). As I'm driving there, I call David on my cell to let him know I've decided to go to the hospital. However, I have forgotten my BlueTooth at home and right on cue, a Davis cop comes out of nowhere and proceeds to flash his lights. I'm being pulled over for not using a 'hands-free device'. Of course, my chest pain worsens. I've never played the "crying girl" card when I have been pulled over before, but I play it this time as I shakily explain to him that I was calling my husband about going to the hospital for my chest pain. The policeman's harsh stare morphs into a concerned look and he suggests that he follows me to there to make sure I arrive safely.

So now I have a police escort to accompany me to the hospital. Actually, he escorts me INTO the hospital as well and now I'm totally embarrassed as everyone in the waiting room stares at me walking in with a police officer as my usher. I then awkwardly explain to the receptionist what is going on and then the officer wishes me well and leaves....finally. Although I know he really was concerned about my safety, I have a suspicion that he also wanted to make sure I wasn't lying to get out of a ticket since I'm sure he's heard some over-the-top excuses before.

Ironically, there did not seem to be a sense of urgency in urgent care, and my whole appointment took about 2 hours to complete after all the waiting and tests. I had an EKG done, as well as an oxygen test, and both came up clear. My blood pressure and heart rate were fine as well. All of this eased my mind but I was still concerned what the root cause was of my chest pain. The nurse practitioner who saw me had asked me if I had been experiencing stress lately and the answer was yes, my work situation was causing me to feel stressed out. She said that although it seems odd for these symptoms to have seemingly come out of the blue, stress can mainfest itself in odd ways and was most likely the culprit for my jaw pain, shoulder pain, and tightness in my chest. My treatment plan was to get some rest and take it easy and I was sent on my way.

For the rest of the day, I said simple prayers of thanks. Thanks that I have good insurance to even go to urgent care. Thanks that I have easy access to a hospital and don't have to walk for days to get medical help like so many people across the world do. Thanks for parents who left church early to come to the hospital waiting room after I text messaged them. Thanks for medications like Excederin, which quickly took away my chest pain after 30 minutes. Thanks for being able to meet up with a friend and spend an afternoon at Starbucks after a scary morning. Thanks for the comforting hugs my husband gives. Thanks for ending the day with some frozen yogurt. And thanks for being able to rest in my Creator's love and cling to His peace. As a new week begins, I pray I can breathe in gratitude and exhale worried thoughts; it's better for both my health and my soul. =)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

silver lining

Yesterday I was at a commencement orientation for UC Davis staff who were volunteering to help out this weekend during the different commencement ceremonies occurring on campus. During this orientation, the different student speakers for each ceremony do a run-through of their speech in order to practice in front of a live audience. Each of the speeches all seemed to have a common theme this year: graduating into an uncertain world that includes high unemployment rates. However, one of the student speakers said something that really stood out to me:

"Because everyone understands that finding a job directly out of college will be very difficult in these uncertain times, our graduating class has basically been given a free pass to instead explore opportunities that don't include the 9-5 entry level desk jobs. Instead of worrying about how hard life will be once we graduate, we should instead be celebrating this freedom we've been given that comes from not having certain expectations placed on us. Now's the time to pursue what we are passionate about because there's nothing else to lose!"


I thought this was an insightful and even inspiring twist on what it means to 'make the best of one's circumstances'. In a letter to the Thessalonians, Paul shares similar sentiments by reminding them to keep the faith and be thankful no matter what obstacles life throws at them because this is God's will for us (1 Thess. 5:16-18). I think Paul isn't saying to be thankful when crappy things happen to you, but rather be thankful of what can be learned through these situations--- things like patience and forgiveness. Or be thankful for how you can be used in these situations. Or even later down the road, be thankful by how you were molded to be the person you are now by these situations. Instead of focusing and dwelling on the sometimes depressing aspects of our circumstances, I need to instead respond by thinking about what God wants to teach us and how God wants to shape us and use us during these difficult times. As the saying goes, "Don't lose hope. When it gets darkest, the stars come out."

Monday, June 01, 2009

celebration


In the last week I celebrated many things.

I celebrated my brother becoming a college alumni.

I celebrated the marriage of Brea and Nathan as they embark on a new life together .

I celebrated the joys of friendship with Bronwyn, Aubrey, and Kassey who also flew to Boston to share in the joy of Brea's wedding.

I celebrated having a job in which I have a good amount of vacation time to travel and explore the world with my husband.

I celebrated a slower pace of life in a quiet bed and breakfast in Western Massachusetts.

I celebrated the decision to seize the opportunity for a new adventure in July.

More to come.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

Me and my pops at the show

I am fortunate to have a dad who has good taste in music (well...mostly) and who raised me to have a deep appreciation for music as well. Among other artists (The Beatles, Paul Simon, Steve Miller Band, The Temptations, etc.), Jimmy Buffett albums were on heavy rotation at our house growing up. Instead of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm", songs like "Margaritaville" and "Cheeseburger in Paradise" were my childhood nursey songs instead. So when I saw that Jimmy Buffett was coming to the Bay Area for a concert, I immediately called up my dad and said, let's go! He has seen Jimmy perform many many times when we lived in Colorado but surprisingly had never seen him here in California. And since I became a Jimmy fan because of my dad, I figured it would only be fitting to go to my first Buffett concert with him. So we got some tickets off Craigslist and put May 19th on the calendar.

Last night was the show and it was the only concert at a large venue I've been to where pretty much everyone was standing up and dancing throughout the show. I knew that Jimmy Buffett fans (aka Parrotheads) can be pretty hardcore, dressing up in full Hawaiian luau garb and it was entertaining to see the variety of grass skirts and coconut bras (many of which were worn by men). The atmopshere at the concert was lighthearted and playful, largely due to all the margaritas being consumed, but also because Jimmy Buffett songs can transport you to a tropical island mindset where there is not a care in the world. There was only one new song that brought the crowd back to reality called "A Lot to Drink About" (alluding to bailouts and global wars), but even this song had an upbeat twang to it.

All in all, it was a fun evening and I am glad I've finally seen Jimmy Buffett live!
Grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts galore


Parrotheads know how to party

My dad on his second grossly overpriced margarita

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 2

Friday night's dinner plans with Ashley and Mark begins with Ash making reservations at an Italian restaurant in Irvine called "Z Mario" that she said had moved locations but was an amazing Italian place. Ashley's friends, Tawny and Jeremy, join us there and as we walk in I notice two things: the decor of the restaurant is very minimalist and modern (doesn't feel like any Italian restaurant I've ever been in) and the restaurant is completely empty. COMPLETELY. The hostess leads us back to our table in the back of the restaurant and we walk by a dance floor and a bar...hmmmm. When she gives us the menus, everything is over $30 an entree, and there is nothing remotely Italian offered. It turns out that the owners of what used to be "Z Mario" decided to turn their cozy Italian restaurant into a trendy lounge/uber expensive place to eat. We quickly decided to pick up and leave and find an actual Italian restaurant and ended up at Villa Nova in Newport Beach. Apparently, this is the spot where Joe DiMaggio took Marilyn Monroe on a blind date, pretty cool stuff. I ordered the manicotti and it was delish!


After dinner, Ash and I talked the night away and made a late-night run to YogurtLand. Again, I found that SoCal has a myriad of awesome frozen yogurt places and if I lived there, I would make a point to visit a new one each week! The next morning, Ash displayed her domestic skills and made a hearty oatmeal and scrambled eggs breakfast before we headed out to do some serious shopping. Actually, I did some serious shopping and Ash was my lackey, helping me find cute summer work outfits and making sure I did NOT buy more tank tops. I scouted out some great deals at Old Navy (50% off stuff already on clearance!), H&M, and Forever 21 and ended up with 5 cute tops and one classy skirt for $60.00.
We then drove up to Westwood, where I was going to meet up with Rachel. We stopped at Diddy Riese, a classic dessert place near UCLA that offers their famous ice-cream sandwiches for $1.50. You get to choose two fresh baked cookies and your flavor of ice cream and the result is a sweet tooth's dream!


The rest of my weekend getaway was spent with Rach in Santa Monica. The last time I had been in Santa Monica was for a college spring break trip with ADX when we stayed in a motel where homeless men were using the windows as mirrors to shave. Let's just say staying in Rach's apartment was quite a step up from that. We took a coastal drive to the Malibu area and gawked at the ridiculously huge mansions that people live in. For dinner that night we went to the Third Street Promenade and ended up at Barney's Beanery. This place has the most extensive menu I've probably ever seen....they have everything from chili bread bowls to fajita plates to burgers to pasta dishes to meatloaf. And for those that love their potatoes, they have 25 different kinds of potato skin options. Needless to say, it took quite a while to decide what to order. After dinner and strolling around the Promenade, we went back to Rach's place and ended up watching "Little Women" (what girl doesn't love Christian Bale as Laurie?) on her laptop in her comfy bed before dozing to sleep.
It was so refreshing to sleep in until 11 the next morning, it's a foreign feeling to wake up feeling well-rested! Rach then suggested a brunch destination that she had tried before, called Jack and Jill's. A restaurant that has a name derived from a nursery rhyme is enough to catch my interest so off we went. Another delicious dining experience. What I liked the most was that you get the option of these mini-blueberry cakes with your meal and they were so good! After stuffing myself yet again, it was time to head back to Sac. I am so grateful I was able to visit with so many close friends during this work trip...many thanks to UCD and taxpayer money =)

Friday, May 01, 2009

Mixing work and pleasure: Part 1

Although UC staff haven't gotten cost of living increases or merit increases in a while, there is a huge perk to being a UC adviser: the 3 day UC Advisors conference that happens every spring. Basically, the department pays for its advisers to stay at a nice hotel in a nice location in order to mingle with other UC advisers and go to adviser workshops with titles like "How to Charm Students at The Door and Not Keep a Flask in Your Drawer" (no joke). This year's conference was hosted by UC San Diego so we were put up at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla.....ca ching! I enjoyed my king bed, my comped meals, and being able to have an excuse to not check my work email (the hotel did not have free internet) and instead use any free time to dive into reading "Angels and Demons" or watch random television (including the Biography Channel which had an interesting segment on Christian Bale). Unlike last year's conference, most the workshops I went to this year were rather interesting. The most useful seminar was about the topic of the low-income student experience at UC campuses and how to best serve this student population. Our keynote speakers at breakfast and lunch were also entertaining, including a professor of music who proceeded to play the maracas for 10 minutes at the end of his talk which he said was a metaphor for being able to improvise in any life situation....haha.
Since the conference was in La Jolla, I was able to visit Krystle and Dan during both nights. They took me to Yogurt World the first night which has the most amazing cake batter yogurt....it is unlike any fro yo I've had. Then we watched (and discussed) Wednesday's episode of LOST which was fun since they are fellow LOST fanatics. On Thursday night, I was able to practice my MarioKart Wii skills at their house and I have to say, I'm a little tempted to buy a Wii again. I'm a little ashamed to say I never came in first, but at least I got back to a decent level of MarioKart competency. Krystle (who moonlights as a Starbucks barista) also made me a wonderful peppermint hot chocolate on her new espresso machine....yum!

Evidence:




Since the conference ended on a Friday, I had decided to extend my SoCal stay and visit Ash in Orange County and Rach in LA since UCD was paying for my airfare anyway and it would be a great way to see them both in one weekend! So after bidding the Hyatt adieu, I navigated my way through the San Diego public transit system and got to the Solana Beach Amtrak station to get to Irvine. Amtrak is a nice way to travel and if I had to commute, this would be my preferred mode of transportation. The seats were comfy, plenty of leg room, and the view of this particular route was very calming: all along the ocean. Listening to my iPod and traveling along the coast always makes for a good combo. Now I'm in Orange County and look forward to a night on the town with the Rickmans!

My sweet ride to Irvine:


Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter



Heavenly Father
You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come
In my world and in my life
You give me the food I need
To live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive
The people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation
Deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window
The birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune
Or out of place
I look at the meadow
And stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl
On her wedding day

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is
Your love is
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens
Is now advancing
Invade my heart
Invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens
Is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself
To buy the one you've found?

Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me


Our God in heaven
Hallowed be
Thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Friday, April 03, 2009

Stumptown

In the last year, I feel like Portland, OR has become a mecca for people who are between the ages of 24-35....a lot of people I know have moved there or are considering a move there. Well, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. So last weekend we made the 567 mile drive up Interstate 5 with David's brother, Jeff, and his cousin, Katie (who has become my adopted cousin) to go up and see Barbara, David's other cousin, and her family who live 10 minutes outside of Portland. Despite the tiring 9 hour drive there and back (with only a few stops!), it was a great trip where we got to explore another interesting city. I definitely want to go back again when the weather is a little nicer (although I've been told that this is a paradox).

Monday, March 23, 2009

catching up over crepeville and cupcakes

Over the weekend, I had a chance to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in a while and I am reminded of how blessed I am by the friendships I made in college. First was a Crepeville brunch date with Rachel, a dear friend of mine who was stolen away by UCLA's Masters in Public Health Program! She's a nutrition rockstar and is learning how to save the world, one gram of fiber at a time! Then on Sunday, I was able to see another good friend, Brea, who flew out from Boston just so she could have a bridal shower with all of her California friends! In my world, bridal showers are synonymous with ADX reunion and are always a fun time of getting caught up with so many girls who I don't get to see that often. Now that a lot of my friends are dispersed over many miles, I really savor the times we're all in one place!


Of course, pink cupakes for Brea's shower


Two brides to be and me



The ADX crowd

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

all shook up

Interviews give me huge knots in my stomach. I stress about them for days, trying not to let my nerves get the best of me. Although I consider myself a fairly articulate person in most normal situations, I tend to stumble over my words when it comes to being interviewed. Since I'm one of those weird people in their 20's who hasn't switched employers multiple times (I've been in the same department since 2005), I've only had two post-college job interviews. I'm thankful for this but at the same time, I realize how this means my experience with interviewing is lacking.

So with that said, I got an email a week ago from the graduate program I applied to letting me know that I had made it to the second step, an in person evaluation. The email was very vague and said to also bring a pen or pencil and dress professionally. Would this be a group interview or a one on one chat with the faculty? Would we be asked theoretical questions about counseling theories or informal questions about what we like to do in our free time? I felt slightly overwhelmed at all the possible questions that could be asked, knowing there is no way to prepare for every possibility. Driving to the interview yesterday, I just tried to breathe and not let any rays of doubt crack through my confident exterior. But this is hard for me to do.

Well the 'interview' turned out to be TOTALLY different than I expected. I wouldn't even call it an interview really. All the applicants were put in a classroom and we were given four different prompts to write about. Two of the questions related to a video the faculty had us watch which portrayed a counseling session. I was ecstatic about this format because my writing skills under pressure are far superior than giving verbal answers under pressure. Then each person was given one minute to share why they wanted to be a part of the program and it was interesting to hear everyone's answers. The faculty facilitating then opened it up for people to ask questions about the program and then told us we would hear back in the next few weeks. Praise God for not having to wait forever.....whatever the outcome, I'd prefer to know sooner than drag it out. I'm just glad it's over with and don't have to deal with my anxious emotions anymore. And thanks to all of you who gave me encouraging words and support leading up to yesterday, I really appreciate it! Now I wait and see which path my life will take...which surprisingly, I'm not anxious about at all right now.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Where I'm From

For the last six weeks, I have been part of an adult ed class at my church called "Race, Faith, and Community" that has explored how issues of race impact us individually, as well as the unity and effectiveness of the church as a whole. As part of the class, we were each asked to complete a poem exercise that would help us explore the culture and experiences that have helped shape our ethnic identity. The poem was in a "Mad Libs" kind of format, where we had to fill in the blanks using words of our choice that corresponded with the chosen topic. Here's what I came up:

I am from snow covered driveways.
From Disney movies and piano lessons.
I am from the track homes of Tracy, homogenous floorplans, white walls, and a pool in the backyard.
I am from the North Davis greenbelt with it's quirky sculptures of dominoes and dogs.
I'm from bedtime stories and loud conversations.
From Kay and Don.
I'm from the 'let's talk about everything' philosophy and the importance of family vacations. From having my grandpa use the term "Japs" to having a cousin engaged to a Vietnamese man. I'm from lifelong Republicans who were surprised yet supportive when I voted for Obama.
I'm from three distinct places that shaped me: Englewood, CO; Tracy, CA; Davis, CA.
From my Grandma's white chococlate chip cookies and beef brisket with mashed potatoes.
I am from feeling like I have no ethnic identity because British ancestry equals boring.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Out of ashes


Going to the Ash Wednesday service last night was a much needed time to just stop, reflect, and have the power of Christ's sacrifice resonate with my soul.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Look down

I used to find The Colbert Show annoying but slowly I've become a fan. Anyway, his guest a few nights ago was Robert Ballard, the oceanographer made famous by his discovery of the Titanic. I saw Ballard speak at the Mondavi Center two years ago and was in absolute awe of his expeditions, especially his exploration of ancient shipwrecks that are perfectly preserved in the Black Sea. The ocean is a pretty fascinating place and much of it's discoveries are yet to be made (maybe more would be made if, as Ballard points out, some of the money devoted to space exploration was instead devoted to ocean exploration). If you're at all interested, I'd highly recommend these two clips.





Friday, February 13, 2009

thinking over

It's hard not to feel overwhelmed by the state of our economy when it's pretty much all that is discussed on the news, on the radio, on the political blogs I read. And President Obama, whose name for many people is synonymous with optimism, has gloomily warned that 'crisis will turn into catastrophe' if there is a failure to pass the stimulus package quickly. But is it the right legislation that will have the most effective outcome? Well, maybe I could start with figuring out what's even in the bill...if I had enough motivation to devote a full day to reading the 780 page text. Bottom line: no one really knows a surefire way to get America out of this mess If the people who are supposedly experts in economics are scratching their heads about what to do, it's hard to feel reassured.

I have to remind myself that my hope is not in the things of this world and instead of worrying, I need to focus on how I can best love and reach out to those who most affected by the hard economic times we are facing. And maybe this will be the upside of the recession: helping Americans break out of our individualistic mindsets and rely on one another more to get through this hard time. In the end, it may be a lesson worth learning.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Workin for the weekend

I came in three hours late to work today after I called my boss and told her I needed to sleep in to catch up from my weekend. The awesome thing about my boss is, she totally understood and said to come in whenever I felt rested!

There are two kinds of weekends I relish:

1) the "lazy" weekend - David and I will sleep in until noon on Saturday, watch some TV, run our weekend errands (Target, Costco, etc.) and then come back and watch a movie

2) the "jam-packed" weekend - I go from event to event, trying to cram in as much socializing as possible

This last weekend fell under category #2. It began with a Threshold ladies night on Friday evening, complete with tons of delicious food provided by Chris Pineda (always a gracious host) and lots of good conversation. It was a great time of getting to know the other women in the group more deeply.
After a few hours with the girls, I left to spend the rest of Friday night with my hubby. We got out the necessary 'movie snacking' food (popcorn and Sour Patch kids) and watched "For the Bible Tells Me So", a wonderful documentary about the Christian faith and homosexuality. It was a poignant and well-done movie that showed the experiences of 5 different Christian families who had gay sons or daughters and discussed the journey they all had been on to learning to embrace both their faith and their gay family members. I would HIGHLY HIGLY recommend it.
Saturday came and after studying and completing an online quiz for my Abnormal Psych class, we ventured to Home Depot to look at paint colors. David and I have made a resolution to have our bedroom and bathroom painted before we possibly start grad school in the fall. I have never thought of yellow as a color I would like to paint a room, but I had a sudden realization that I really want to paint our bedroom some muted shade of yellow to give it a warm, sunny feeling. Surprisingly, David seemed ok with the idea, so we'll see...maybe our room will look like this?

I was then off to meet up with Bronwyn and Jarrod, to carpool to Kassey's goodbye party in San Francisco. What is a farewell party for Kassey without a huge gathering of all her friends in SF? I have to admit, I was looking forward to meeting her SF small group friends, since I constantly see pictures of these people all the time on Kassey's Facebook page ( she adds a new album almost every day it seems!). I really am invigorated by seeing old friends and meeting new ones and this was a perfect setup to do so! I'm also glad I was able to see Kassey before she heads off to pursue her dreams in NYC, it's always fun to watch friends take off on a new adventure.
After getting to bed at 3 am, getting up for church on Sunday was a little painful. But I'm so glad I went. Threshold is participating in a really cool series about Race & Faith during their Sunday morning adult ed class, and this week's session was really interesting. I think it's important to focus on racial reconciliation from a Christian perspective and how we as a church can be part of the reconciliation process. It helps that our class is so diverse and so there are lots of insights on the issues that are brought up.
After church, I had some downtime so I went to my parent's house and took Milo on a walk. This is one of the simple joys in my life, watching Milo run around in the greenbelt by my parent's house. He's a feisty little dog when it comes to racing around in the grass! Later on in the afternoon, David and I went over to the Howards to partake in some Super Bowl gluttony. I didn't really care about the game at all, I was more interested in watching the new "Office" episode after the game! It lived up to the hype, it was a hilarious episode. Favorite quote from Michael Scott helping recessitate Stanley from his heart attack: "Stanley! Barack is president! You are black Stanley!"
Well, the night got even better when the Howards reminded us that they now owned Rock Band....thus began a jam session that lasted well until 10 pm! I have to say though, I never want to sing Hole's "Celebrity Skin" song again, once is enough! All in all, another great weekend.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

with a little help from my friends

After high school and college, it gets harder and harder to have all of your closest friends in one place at one time. Therefore, I've tried to make it a priority to set aside one weekend a year to make this happen. So last March was the first annual "Davis Girls Weekend" where the five of us (me, Ashley, Kate, Amy, and Susan) all congregated down in Orange County to stuff ourselves with cupcakes, do some shopping, and catch up on each other's lives.

The 2009 girls weekend destination was switched to the Bay Area, since 80% of us live up in NorCal now (woot woot), and I became the self-designated planner for our activities. The weekend was fabulous fun and here are some pics to prove it!


We began the weekend by lunching at the Ferry Building, where I experienced the gloriousness that is the CowGirl Creamery shop (it's like cheese heaven!). We also saw Meredith from "The Office" and we tried to get her in this picture (she was buying coffee at Peet's) but we just missed her.


When then went to check in at our amazing hotel in Fisherman's Wharf, where I got an unbelievably good deal on Travelzoo: $99 for a night versus the normal $250 a night. The nautical theme was a little over the top, but it was a very posh hotel that included a free wine reception hour, which we all gladly took advantage of before heading off to dinner in North Beach.





We then took a pleasant stroll over to Little Italy and ate at what I think is the most delicious Italian restaurant in the city, Mona Lisa. I have a long history with this place (we went there the night David proposed! ) and it just hits the spot for any kind of pasta creation you could imagine. After dinner, we were walking down Columbus Avenue to our next destination when I run into two friends from college, Kristen and Brad! It was a hilarious moment where in disbelief I shouted out "Excuse me?! What are you doing here?" not realizing that I probably sounded really rude to the other people in front of me...haha. But really, what are the odds of running into two friends at the exact same time on the exact same street in a large city? I love life's little coincidences.



Kristen gave us the name of the bakery she works at in the city, and I promised that we would try to come see her the next morning for breakfast. We then began what turned out to be a mini-trek to our next stop, the Red Devil Lounge in Russian Hill. Unfortunately, Kate thought that it would be a good idea to wear new heels, and on our walk to dinner she already had several nasty blisters in the works. Using her wonderful iPhone, I tried to find the closest MUNI stop and realized that even with taking MUNI, we would still need to walk 6-8 blocks uphill. The rest of us were in comfortable walking shoes, but poor Kate was limping along. It truly was a group effort in trying to ease Kate's pain.....Ash gave her piggy back rides and I let her have my socks, while Amy and Susan offered up words of moral support. All I have to say is argyle socks and zebra heels make an interesting combo.





After we got a little lost (even with the iPhone), Kate and Ashley gave up on walking and hailed a cab. But me, and Amy, and Susan forged on...mainly because we wanted to walk off what was a very filling dinner. So finally, by car or on foot, we all arrived and our night of dancing began.

Since a night out with the girls is rare now that I'm an old married lady, I had done some research of a fun place to go dancing. Fortunately, through the wonders of Google, I found that Wonderbread 5 was playing in SF on the night that we were there. They are a cover band that play hits from the 80's and 90's, which is definitely more my scene than some ultra trendy club playing electronica and trance.

We got our dance on and moonwalked to Michael Jackson , shimmied to the B-52's, rocked out to Journey, and even tried to rap to Vanilla Ice (I have to admit, I have forgotten the words). It was a most excellent time.








We made an early morning stop at the Fisherman's Wharf In-N-Out before heading to bed and two creepster guys in line asked Amy and Ash "Are you two here for pleasure?" Seriously? Is that supposed to be a smooth pick up line? If only Amy or Ash had thought to respond "No, actually we're here at In-N-Out for a 2 am business meeting."

The next day, we made good on our promise to pay Kristen a visit at La Boulange, the super cute French eatery where she works. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed another sunny walk in the city. I got what I think was the best omelette of my life: goat cheese, avocado, and bacon. It was a perfect Sunday brunch meal and was made even more perfect when Kristen snuck us some free pastries, which included a banana caramel muffin, a raisin custard croissant, and a sugar bun....scrumptious!

As if we hadn't had our fill of sweets, we made a stop at Kara's Cupcakes in Ghiradelli Square before checking out of the hotel. I agree that it is a little ridiculous to pay $3.25 for ONE cupcake, but you only live once right? After laboring over all the choices, I went with one Kara's Karrot and one Meyer Lemony lemon cupcake...and resisted the temptation to buy more. We then made a brief stop at the ocean for a photo op and headed down to Union Square.



The rest of the day involved a really fun makeup consultation at Sephora, a delectable Thai dinner in Walnut Creek, and a nostalgic viewing of an awesome movie from the late 80's, "Troop Beverly Hills". The next morning, we all woke up a little dazed from staying up late talking but Kate made sure to feed us a healthy breakfast of whole-grain toast, fruit and oatmeal before we left for Davis. I am so blessed to have so many great memories with my friends and I look forward to next year's girls weekend!

Thursday, January 08, 2009

food soothes the soul

I found two great recipes in Cooking Light that I used last night and wanted to share them with any readers I have who like delicious food (hopefully that's everyone).

The first recipe is a SUPER easy and quick black bean soup. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish, including prep! Take that Rachael Ray! This soup is also very high in fiber, which is a nice health benefit. And it goes really well with tortilla chips or even better, fresh tortillas.

Ingredients

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added black beans, undrained
  • 1/2 cup bottled salsa
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 (16-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
  • 5 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
  • 5 tablespoons minced green onions
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Place beans and liquid in a medium saucepan; partially mash beans with a potato masher. Place over high heat; stir in salsa, chili powder, and broth. Bring to a boil. Ladle soup into bowls; top with cheese, sour cream, onions, and cilantro.


The second recipe is for pecan pumpkin bread. I love anything pumpkin, and wanted to make a snack to bring to our bible study tonight, so this recipe presented the perfect opportunity! I haven't actually tried it yet (although I was so tempted to after it came out of the oven) but after our study meets, we'll see if it passes the taste test.

Ingredients

  • 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 15 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup egg substitute
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • Cooking spray
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through allspice) in a bowl.

Place sugar, egg substitute, oil, buttermilk, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and pumpkin, beating at low speed until blended. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, beating at low speed just until combined. Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over batter. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

that's entertainment

This blog is in need of a light-hearted post, so here it is! This is a random smattering of what kept me most entertained in 2008:

Reading:














Watching in a Theatre:
















Watching in My Home:



























Listening: